You and Me and One Spotlight
by Silent Child
Summary: A trigger-happy demon. A creampuff-loving manager. What can go wrong...or right? A series of 100 oneshots and drabbles. /-CHAPTER 4-/ Mamori wonders...does Hiruma ever take a break?
1. Untangling the Wires

**You and Me and One Spotlight**

**-**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. :) Or the list of 100 themes that someone came up with. Or the title of the Yellowcard song (You and Me and One Spotlight) that inspired me to write.

**Author's Note(s): **A series of 100 oneshots and drabbles about our favourite trigger-happy demon and creampuff-loving manager.

**-**

**Untangling the Wires  
**_(81. Pen and Paper)_

_Learning how to use technology is like learning a new language. It's irritating and just when you think you conquered it, it conquers you. Just like dealing with Hiruma._

-

Mamori was not technology savvy – everyone knew that.

The team had always been awestruck at the sheer efficacy of their manager's hand with pens and paper. Pages and pages of information would be written out faster than Sena's light speed dash, listed alphabetically with straight, neat letters. So when Hiruma entrusted Mamori his laptop to compile information, the brunette had a befuddled look on her face.

"How do you use this...thing?" She gingerly pointed at the laptop.

"Figure it out yourself," He said before leaving for practice, guns and rifles strapped to his body.

And thus Mamori stared at the heap of wires, chips, and plastic, let out a heavy sigh, and turned her attention to the bright screen. There was a collection of tiny pictures with labels below them – how would she know what to do? But something caught her eye – there was a little rectangle at the bottom of the screen with the words "use this". Mamori quirked an eyebrow but clicked it, and lo and behold, a program popped up with another message: "type in here".

A smile found a home on Mamori's face as she began her work. Eventually she learned how to save, name and rename files, and sort all the information she assembled into the appropriate folders. She finished in no time and with a sigh of relief, closed the program. There was other work to be done and she had time to spare – technology wasn't so bad after all.

Just as she was about to leave the laptop to do her other managerial duties, something caught her eye again. This time it was one of those little pictures with words underneath them – one of them read "Anezaki".

She stopped to stare. Then she blinked. Anezaki – there weren't any other Anezaki's in the school, were there? It couldn't really be _her_, could it? Hiruma normally called her by a rather rude name for one. But maybe it _was_ her and the curious side of Mamori was invoked. If it was blackmail (a backup of his threat book?), she could finally delete it and be free of Hiruma's strings...or at least snip off a few strings. After checking left and right (the team was still at practice), Mamori clicked on the icon. After seeing what had opened, Mamori flushed red, slammed the laptop shut, and stormed off.

_"Kekeke, I didn't know you were this nosy, fucking manager."_

Shortly after practice, a sweat-drenched Hiruma returned to his locker to find a piece of paper taped inside. It was a poorly drawn caricature of him with an arrow pointing to it saying "pineapple head". He cackled. She was no better at using pens and paper than his laptop.

"What are you, in preschool?" Hiruma cast down his sneer at her as he strode into the clubroom. He threw her balled up drawing at her head and it dropped into the cup of coffee she was serving. She turned crimson in a mixture of embarrassment and irritation and threw Hiruma's laptop at him.

Mamori was not technology savvy – but she knew enough to put technology to good use.


	2. The Quarterback and the Manager

**You and Me and One Spotlight**

**-**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. :) Or the list of 100 themes that someone came up with. Or the title of the Yellowcard song (You and Me and One Spotlight) that inspired me to write.

**Author's Note(s): **A series of 100 oneshots and drabbles about our favourite trigger-happy demon and creampuff-loving manager.

After much thought, I realize this would've been a better first chapter. But oh well, enjoy! :)

**-**

**The Quarterback and the Manager**  
_(61. Fairy Tale)_

_They live on different levels, but it is still the same world._

-

_Once upon a time there lived a princess who was loved by all._

"Mamori-san, please help me with these cookies!" A classmate tugged on Mamori's sleeve in Home Economics class.

"Mamo-neechan, my uniform button fell off," Sena sheepishly approached his childhood friend.

"Mamo-nee, let's go shopping!" A bouncy Suzuna dragged Mamori out of the school once football practice was over.

"Thank you, Anezaki-san," Her homeroom teacher gave a smile and nod when he received the surveys filled out by the class.

Mamori would only smile to everything. "No problem."

_But there lived an evil demon that terrorized the kingdom._

"Kyaah, it's him! Stay away from him!" A girl whispered (or rather, yelled) to her friend as Hiruma strolled past their classroom.

"P-please take care of us," A group of newly acquired slaves were on their knees, trembling.

"_AIEE_!" A boy fled for his life once he saw Hiruma at a distance.

"That can be arranged," The principal dabbed his brow with a handkerchief as he listened to Hiruma's demands.

Hiruma threw his head back and cackled. The world was his.

_One day, the demon kidnapped the princess and made her his slave._

"Fucking manager, organize the data on Oujo," Hiruma tossed a camcorder at Mamori as he passed by her in the hallway.

"Don't call me that," She huffed, after catching the camcorder with ease.

"Alright, fucking creampuff."

_Her kingdom begged for a knight in shining armor to save her._

"Mamori-chan, let's go to that new café near the station after school," Her friend coaxed the American Football Team manager.

"Ah, sorry, I've got club duties to do," Mamori smiled and politely declined.

"Why don't you just skip this once? Or quit? It's taking up so much of your time!"

"Sorry, it's my job as manager."

_However, the story of this particular princess and the demon is far from being a fairy tale._

Mamori was busy taking notes; so many of them that the desk in the clubroom had overflowed with a sea of papers. Exhausted, the brunette paused the video and fell back on her chair to welcome a quick break.

"The fucking creampuff is slacking on the job!" A familiar voice invaded her thoughts.

Mamori sat straight up, startled, as she noticed the stream of sunlight flooding into the dimmed room.

_If it was, I suppose you could say that the demon was her knight in shining armor._

Hiruma grabbed a one of the sheets of paper and glanced up at the projector screen. Then, he grounded himself on a spare chair and began to write. "Rewind the footage to 14:30. You missed a few things."

Mamori nodded obediently and said a grateful "thank you" as she hit the rewind button.

But in the dimness of the room, she mistook the 'forward' button for the 'rewind' button, and for a few seconds, the two watched the game progress at twice the speed.

"Fucking creampuff, what are you doing?" Hiruma sneered.

"Don't call – don't say...that, that _word_!" Mamori flushed deeply. It was a useless request but it was also a habit.

"If that's what you want, creampuff."

Both paused for a moment before they realized what that phrase sounded like.

So did the rest of the team, who was staring in, dumbfounded, from the open doors.

"Creampuff?" Kuroki had a horrified expression on his face; somewhere between wanting to gag and gagging.

"You-nii called Mamo-nee 'creampuff'?" Suzuna had a look of delight.

"UNFORGIVEABLE, MAX!!" Steam blew out of Monta's ears and nose.

"I-it's not what it looks like," Mamori tried to explain. Hiruma left it as it was, laughing to the point of tears.

_And they lived happily ever after._


	3. Opening the Floodgates

**You and Me and One Spotlight**

**-**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. :) Or the list of 100 themes that someone came up with. Or the title of the Yellowcard song (You and Me and One Spotlight) that inspired me to write.

**Author's Note(s): **Something new, yay! It's more serious than my previous two themes.**  
**

**-**

**Opening the Floodgates**  
_(__30. Under the Rain__)_

_He knows that she knows that she knows him better than he thinks she knows. Still, there's no chance in hell that he is going to admit that._

-

The rainy season reared it's ugly, wet head once more. Spirits were disheartened school-wide, but one American Football Team rallied their strengths and practiced their hearts out in mud and puddles. Laps were run, footballs were tossed around, bodies collided, and voices yelled with all their might. Rain was just another opponent to crush.

"KILL THEM ALL!" The Deimon Devilbats' ritualistic team chant rang throughout the empty school and the fields. And one by one, they all left until the field was empty.

However, one came back.

It was hard to notice at first; he blended in so well that you could say he was part of the field. He stood for a few minutes in utter silence, rain and sweat matting his blonde hair into a droopy mess. An almost meditative state. He ran strategies and plays in his mind, pictured the opponent, the surroundings, the noise...

It suddenly stopped raining.

"You know, you'll catch a cold," Mamori said, holding high a pink umbrella over the two of them.

He hadn't sensed her coming up behind him.

"I'm cold-blooded to begin with," Hiruma's characteristic leer came across his face.

"Then a fever," Mamori replied coolly.

"Tch."

There was a momentary stillness, where Mamori looked pensively at Hiruma's broad back that was emblazed with the number one.

"You know, you don't have to worry so much about the team, Hiruma," She said. "They won't let you down. They put their heart and effort into everything."

"What makes you think I'm thinking that, fucking manager?" Hiruma scoffed. He didn't bother to face her.

Mamori smiled, even though she knew he wouldn't see it. "The way you drill them, teach them, drive them...it's all so they can strive to improve themselves. Become winners. If they fall, they'll get back up with spirit multiplied tenfold, and snatch the win from the opponent's hands. You've given them what you can, and it's up to them to reach it. All that's left is to push them from behind; and believe me, you've done far more than that."

"You're unbelievably mushy," The blonde quarterback snickered. He could feel her smile transform into a frown that was itching to protest. "We only need winners."

He turned to her only to walk past her, welcoming back the rain. She took a step forward to shield him from the weather but for every step she took, he took one back.

"Devils don't need guardian angels."

"Then perhaps a comrade?"

"I work alone," Hiruma's laughter echoed across the empty school grounds as he stalked back into the clubhouse. Mamori remained where she was and scanned her eyes across the football field. She could see exactly what he saw; the opponent, their teammates, the cheers, jeers, losses, and wins. Mamori slowly let the umbrella down to a flurry of raindrops, closing her eyes with a smile. He was definitely not alone.


	4. Catch

**You and Me and One Spotlight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eyeshield 21. :) Or the list of 100 themes that someone came up with. Or the title of the Yellowcard song (You and Me and One Spotlight) that inspired me to write.

**Author's Note(s): **Thank you everyone for your support! An update at last!**  
**

**Catch**  
_(100. Relaxation)_

_Mamori wonders...does Hiruma _ever_ take a break?_

The thought had plagued Mamori's mind for days.

She had always watched Hiruma work more than anyone else on the team. From pushing practices, assembling valuable data, cooking up strategies, to digging up deep seeded dirt, gathering slaves, and talking trash, had Hiruma ever taken a moment for a time out?

The _clickity-clack_ of Hiruma typing away at his keyboard and _swoosh-swoosh_ of Mamori's daily sweeping found themselves in harmony during a hot summer's day in the clubhouse. She spied on him from the corner of her eye, wondering if the heat would inevitably affect the quarterback's work integrity. It didn't seem to bother him one bit.

Then, a breakthrough.

Hiruma picked up a football that had been lying next to him. He tossed it up in the air, caught it, fiddled around with it in his hands, and then tossed it up again. It happened several times before Hiruma set the football down and went back to typing.

Mamori's face fell; was _that _considered a break for Hiruma? She glanced up at the clock before she stopped her sweeping. Hiruma's ears picked up on the lack of noise at once.

"Quitting already?" Hiruma jeered.

"I think we should have a break," Mamori bravely voiced her opinion. _Clickity-clack._ "We've done a lot today, and we have time to spare." _Clickity-clack._ "Honestly, don't you relax once in awhile?"

There was a pause in Hiruma's typing. "Anything that involves football is relaxing." Then, back to work.

Mamori frowned as she leaned on her broom. She looked to Hiruma, then to his laptop, and then the football. And then an idea came sashaying forth. "Hiruma, let's play catch!"

At that time, there were three others in the clubhouse. Everyone else had gone home. Musashi's face contorted into an incredibly befuddled look, followed by a bellowing chortle; Sena choked on his tea after envisioning a brief flash of what Hiruma playing catch as a child would look like; and Kurita looked positively delighted that they could play football, yet bewildered that it was child's game and not a friendly match against another school. Hiruma's reaction was even bigger.

"You want to..." Hiruma usual poker face and delectably wicked tone faltered. He found that he could not finish his sentence as he burst out in guffaws, buckling over and clutching at his sides. Seconds after, he toppled off his chair and defined the meaning of "rolling on the floor laughing".

Mamori instantly resembled a ripe tomato. "W-what's so funny about that!"

"Mamori, maybe that isn't such a good idea..." Sena managed to croak out after recovering. Of all games and people, he could not picture Hiruma playing a lighthearted, friendly game such as catch with Mamori. For very, _very _obvious reasons.

"She wants to play catch!" Hiruma gasped out between laughs. "What club do you think you're in?"

"It's still throwing around a football, but it's much less tense," Mamori curtly turned her back and began to sweep furiously in an effort to hide her embarrassment. Her effort was in vain as Hiruma snaked his way in front of her to jeer at her some more.

"Is that so? Okay, fucking manager, let's play 'catch'," Hiruma grinned from ear to ear.

Mamori pursed her lips together and gripped her fists tight. That was no invitation; it was a challenge. "Fine with me!" She was going to prove to Hiruma that playing catch could still be fun and relaxing to a football player like him.

"So how did it turn out like this?"

Sena looked on from the sidelines uncomfortably as he watched his childhood friend and captain face off against each other.

"Will she be alright?" Kurita asked. Hiruma would never be the type to play nice.

"He's not pure evil," Musashi said. He realized what he was saying and added, "I am certified in first aid."

It began like an old cheesy Western flick. Mamori stared down Hiruma as he stared back. He wriggled his fingers over a pile of footballs while Mamori put her arms up to brace for impact.

And then it happened in the blink of an eye. A football whizzed by Mamori's ear like a speeding bullet and crashed into the school behind her.

She gulped.

"Scared?" Hiruma flashed his trademark demonic grin.

"N-not at all," Mamori wasn't about to admit defeat.

A football shot past her other ear without warning, and then another just grazed the top of her head.

Mamori considered relenting. That's when Hiruma stalked over to her with a frown smeared across his face. The air was tense. She didn't dare speak for she may break it. But she knew he was just waiting for her to declare her stupidity. Mamori's mouth slowly opened to admit defeat when Hiruma, with one clean motion, removed his helmet and plunked it down on her head.

"Now I don't have to worry," Hiruma muttered underneath his breath, but just loud enough for her to hear. "About throwing footballs at your head!"

"Kyaaah!" Mamori screamed and ducked as an onslaught of footballs rocketed her way.

"You're right, fucking manager," He grinned while clutching a football. "This _is_ relaxing! It's target practice!"

"Ah!"

"100 points for the head!"

"Kyaa!"

"Isn't this called 'catch', fucking manager? Why aren't you catching!"

"Hiruma – ack!"

It didn't seem to register in Mamori's mind (she was busy dodging for her life), but perhaps the idle banter the two always found themselves in was, in fact, a source of relaxation for the great demon king.


End file.
